Saving Ron
by gamergirl8901
Summary: The war is over and Voldemort is dead. All the Weasleys are dead, except Ron. He's left alone, crazy and suicidal, when a certain blonde someone decides to help him and show him that there's something worth living for. RonLuna. Currently under revision.
1. Chapter 1

Ok this is my first attempt at a fic like this. I'm usually a happy fic writer but I figured I could try something a little more depressing. R&R.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or its characters.

Chapter 1 

The rain was pouring down on him, soaking his clothes in seconds, but he didn't care. He was headed for a dark alley in Hogsmeade, one of his favorite haunts. He sometimes wondered if things would be different if he had decided to do something after Hogwarts. He shoved his hand into his pocket and withdrew a crumpled piece of parchment. He had read it so many times, hoping to comfort himself with the familiarity, but it didn't help. He opened it up and read it once again.

Dear Ron,

How are you doing? You don't write anymore, but I can't say I blame you. I would be devastated if it had happened to my family. But you need to know that we are upset about what happened. It affected us all. I still think you should've come with us to train to become an Auror. Harry and I miss you. You still haven't come to see us yet. Oh Harry says hi. He would write more often too but he can't. His Auror training is really wearing him down. He's always exhausted. We don't have much time to go out because he's busy and I'm busy. My training is going all right. I'm still not sure if it was the right path for me to choose, but an Auror is worthwhile. And I still have time to work on S.P.E.W. I think you should get yourself a job. Now don't hate me for suggesting it but I think you should go back to the Burrow. You haven't been there since…it happened. It's not right. You inherited that house. You can't just live in that run-down house you convinced Harry to buy for you. I'm still chewing him out for that, by the way. But he did it for you and I respect that. Just go back to the Burrow soon. You need closure. Don't dwell on the past. Look ahead at the future. It's what they all would have wanted. Harry lost Sirius and we all lost Dumbledore, but we still looked ahead. The war is over now. You have nothing to worry about. Please think about it. For me. I would write more but I must go. I have more studying to do.

Love from,

Hermione

Ron's eyes watered a little, but he blinked the tears back. He folded up the rain-splattered letter and slipped it back in his pocket. He sat down in his favorite corner and thought. It had been months since Harry defeated Voldemort, but the loss of his family still hurt as it did the day they all died. Voldemort's Death Eaters had raided his house and murdered all they could find. His father died first, trying to protect his family. Bill and Charlie started firing as many curses as they could at the Death Eaters, but they were struck down as well. Percy was hit in an attempt to save Ginny, who wanted to fight to avenge her father. His mother died when she was getting him and Ginny out of harm's way. Fred and George died fighting to avenge their mother, and Ginny was struck down when him and her were leaving the house. He had jumped out of the window so he could help her through, but she was killed in her attempt to get through the window. He ran out of the house as fast as he could, grabbed the first broom he found, and flew to safety. Since that day, he hadn't stopped thinking that if they hadn't had anti-apparating and disapparating wards around the house, they might have all survived. But his father had insisted upon placing them to protect his family.

Ron scolded himself mentally for thinking about that day again, but he had never been able to get it out of his mind. Every waking moment of his life had him reliving that nightmare. Harry's journey to find and destroy the Horcruxes was lonely for Ron, who was forbidden to go so he could pull himself together after his loss. Hermione had objected to leaving him behind, but Harry threatened to leave her too if she didn't stop. Not a day had gone by after Harry left that didn't have Ron thinking about how much he had wanted to go with him. He would've been able to escape his world of pain and avenge his family, but Harry wouldn't allow it. He had to go into hiding til the threat was over. McGonagall had felt it was necessary since the other Weasleys were exterminated. He hated not having letters from Harry and Hermione, but knew it was for his own safety. After the war was over, he didn't care about his safety anymore. He didn't avenge his family, and would never get the chance to since Voldemort was killed and most of his Death Eaters captured. He never knew if they all died and hoped that some lived so one day he might get the chance to do it himself.

He wanted to kill himself, but every time he tried, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He knew it would hurt, but knew it wouldn't be nearly as painful as losing his family. He didn't know if Harry and Hermione knew that he was suicidal. But he figured that if they did, Hermione would freak out and visit him as soon as she could, and Harry would scream at him til he reconsidered. He didn't want to go back to the Burrow. It held too many painful memories. He didn't care if he never got closure. He may have inherited the house, but it didn't mean he had to live there or go back to it. He already had to endure the pain of the funeral. They buried all the bodies at the same funeral, and asked him to speak during it. But all he managed to do was say a few words then break down crying. Harry and Hermione had gone up there in his place and said everything that they could think of saying. He had stayed at the funeral long after everyone left, and had slept at their graves for about a week. He lived off very few clothes and any food he could afford. Harry offered to pay for everything but Ron refused. What he didn't know was that Harry was secretly paying for everything anyway.

"Hedwig!" Ron exclaimed when Harry's white owl flew down beside him. He removed the wet scroll of parchment from her leg and gave her a pat before she took off, but she didn't move. He sighed. "I suspect Harry's told you not to leave til I reply." Hedwig clicked her beak. "I take that as a yes. He's determined, that one." He opened the scroll and began to read.

Dear Ron,

How are you doing? Hermione told me that you haven't written to her so I figured I'd give it a try. Auror training is going great, but it's really exhausting. I feel like I never get any sleep. Hermione and I don't really go out much anymore. She's still obsessed with S.P.E.W. It's a little aggravating. I heard that you still haven't returned to the Burrow. Maybe it's time that you did. I know I bought you the house you have now but the Burrow will always be your home. You should visit us some time. We miss you a lot.

Hoping you're ok,

Harry

Ron folded it up and stuffed it in his pocket. Hedwig ruffled her wings, flinging even more water on him. He wondered if he should get himself an umbrella, but decided that if he got lucky enough, he might die from the flu. He stroked Hedwig for a few minutes, then pulled out some spare parchment and a quill and wrote to Harry and Hermione.

Dear Harry and Hermione,

I decided to write to the two of you together. It saves parchment. I'm fine, I promise. I'm glad to hear that Auror training is going well. I wouldn't want the two of you to fail at something you both want. Hermione, you need to give up S.P.E.W. It's getting old. I don't want to go back to the Burrow and I don't have to. There're too many painful memories there. Why would you want me to relive it all again? I don't care if I inherited any of it. I never want to go back there again. You need to leave me alone about it. And that's the exact reason why I don't write and don't visit. The two of you nag me too much. It's aggravating. Now I have to go. Enjoy your training and good luck.

Ron

He tied the letter to Hedwig and stroked her one more time before she took off. He leaned back against the wall and sighed, hoping they'd be happy with what he sent them. He didn't really want to talk to them, but figured that he couldn't avoid them forever. With those thoughts, he drifted off to sleep in the rain. What he didn't know was that someone was watching him from afar. A certain blonde-haired someone had been watching him while he was there, and did that every day. He didn't know that someone enjoyed watching him in that spot every time he went there.

End Chapter 1

Well review please! I hope I did a good job. I've never tried something like this before. It's a little weird. Don't forget to review! Chapter 2 coming soon!


	2. Chapter 2

Ok time for the next chapter! I didn't get any reviews but it doesn't matter. I'm enjoying writing this fic anyways. R&R.

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, would I be writing on this website?

Chapter 2 

The wind was in his hair and he felt exhilarated for the first time in a while. But he didn't forget about what he wanted to do. He looked down below and was thankful that he wasn't afraid of heights. It was going to be a long way down. He picked the highest building he could find so he would definitely die when he hit the bottom. He took a small step forward, his feet at the very edge of the ledge. He took several deep breaths, preparing himself for what he was about to do.

Someone was walking across the street when it was about to happen. She noticed him at the top of the building, recognizing him from those dozens of times she stared at him when he wasn't paying attention to anyone. She sighed and stationed herself so she would be able to see if he would actually do it. She doubted it very much. He may be suicidal, but he didn't strike her as the type to jump.

"He is so strange," Luna said to herself. A chilly wind blew and she tightened her sweater around herself, waiting to see what he would do. "I don't think he'll do it, but I could be wrong. I hope I'm not."

Ron gulped a few times, took a few more deep breaths, then walked off the ledge and began his fall. He tried hard not to scream, but he was going so fast he was sure he was going to.

Luna gasped and covered her mouth. She couldn't believe he had done it. Her mind went blank. She couldn't remember any spells that might help her save him. She closed her eyes, afraid to look at him, when suddenly she heard him swear loudly.

"Shit! How the hell did this happen?" Ron asked aloud. His jacket had got caught on a jagged ledge near the ground, keeping him from falling. "At this distance, the drop won't kill me." The jacket ripped off the ledge and he landed right on a garbage bin. "I should've checked to see if there was something there before I jumped," he grumbled.

Luna ran forward, wondering if she should say something or just help him up. Then she wondered if it would be better if she just pretended she didn't see anything. But before she had made up her mind, her legs started moving.

"Ron, are you ok?" she asked, helping him up.

"Luna! What are you doing here?" he asked, bewildered. "What did you see?"

"What do you mean what did I see?" she asked angrily. "I saw your dumb ass jump off the roof of that building! What were you thinking?"

"Why should you care what I was thinking?" he asked jerkily, ripping his arm out of her grip. "Why does everyone care what I'm thinking? It's not like they would ever understand!"

"I could try to understand," she said.

"Well you couldn't. You weren't there when it happened. You didn't have to see what I saw. Your entire family wasn't murdered right in front of your eyes so don't say you can understand," he said violently. He stormed off in the opposite direction.

"He's so stubborn," she sighed. "He needs to accept that he might need help."

Ron stomped through the puddles of water left over from the storm from the day before. He was furious. He hadn't died because a ledge saved his life, then someone decided to pretend like she could understand him.

"I got saved by a freaking ledge. This is so unfair," he said. "And what does Luna know? Nothing! She could never understand! Why did she have to make me feel even worse than before? She has no idea how it feels to lose everything all at once right in front of you."

He ended up right back in that alley in the same spot he always sat in. He wondered how she had managed to find him or what she was doing there, but found that he really didn't care. Her presence made him feel even worse, because she was a reminder of his sister, who had first introduced them and had been one of Luna's only friends. It hurt to think of Ginny, so it hurt to think of Luna. He wanted to rid himself of the pain, but he didn't know how. He wasn't a cutter. Cutting would make him nauseous. He had his ways of relieving himself for a few hours, but he didn't have the money right now. A sudden clear thought popped into his head and he took out a quill and parchment.

Dear Harry,

Ok I know I wrote to you yesterday but something's come up. I need some money right now. I know I don't usually ask for money but this is an extreme emergency. If you could send anything you have to spare as soon as possible, I'd be so grateful. Give Hermione my best.

Ron

He folded it up and headed towards his place. He didn't like apparating at all, so he walked everywhere. By the time he got into his house, his shoes were caked with mud, but the carpet was so dirty it didn't matter. He headed over to Pigwidgeon's cage and unlocked it. He tied the scroll to his leg.

"I need you to take this to Harry," he said, patting him on the head. "Be quick."

Pig hooted before taking off. Ron flopped onto his bed and sighed. He hadn't really done much in his house in a long time. It had been a while since he took a shower and he didn't even know what he looked like anymore. He broke every mirror in the house to hide from his reflection. It reminded him too much of his family.

He got out of bed and walked into the bathroom to take a shower. The lights were dim and the bathroom dirty, but he didn't care. He turned the rusty handle in his shower and stripped down. He stepped in and felt the relaxing feeling of the hot water. Mud was streaming from his body down the drain. The shower floor was getting blacker every minute, but Ron was getting cleaner. When he finally stepped out, he felt different. For the first time in a while, his hair felt nice and his body wasn't a disgusting mess. He changed into fresh clothes and ran a comb through his mess of hair. He briefly wondered what he looked like, seeing as how he didn't like mirrors. Shaking his head, he stepped back out of the house and went straight back to that alley to wait for Harry's reply.

Luna was in her own house, sitting at her favorite window. She liked it so much because it allowed her to see the alley that Ron always went to. She waited for him all the time, sometimes even going outside to see if she could find him. He would wander a lot, so when he did she would go out shopping, hoping to run into him. She was an editor of the Quibbler, but she worked from home. She would turn in everything to her father, who would then run it through the paper. She vaguely wondered if anyone from Hogwarts knew what she did, but then remembered that no one would care, since no one read the Quibbler except for her. She was working on a long piece when she saw him return. She smiled a little and shifted the curtain slightly so he wouldn't be able to see her if he ever looked up. He rarely did, but she wanted to be prepared.

"Ron. Hey Ron!" a raspy voice called to him from behind some boxes in the alley.

"Someone there?" Ron asked.

"Yeah. Come here," the voice said.

Ron got up and walked over. When he saw who it was, he smiled. "Hey Flint," he said.

"Hey," Flint said, clearing his throat. "Sorry about that. I had to conceal my voice in case you weren't alone."

"But I always am," Ron pointed out.

"Not always. I've seen people nearby," Flint replied. He clapped his hands together. "So, let's get down to business, shall we?"

"I can't," Ron said. "I haven't got any money."

"When will you get some?" Flint asked.

"When Harry sends me some soon," Ron replied.

"Ok fine. I'll give you an I.O.U. just because you're my best customer," Flint said. "You want the usual, I presume?"

"Of course," Ron answered. Flint transferred several things from his pockets to Ron's hands. Then he wrote the I.O.U. and smiled.

"I'll be back in a few days with more. And I want the money then," Flint said.

"I always come through, don't I?" Ron asked.

"I guess. Later."

Flint disappeared and Ron stuffed everything in his pockets. He sat back down in his spot and Luna smiled again. She thought he had left during the brief seconds she had been paying attention to the article. She scribbled a few things down and looked up again. This time, however, she dropped her quill and parchment. Her ink bottle hit the floor and shattered. She felt like her heart was doing the same. She had never seen him do it before so she never imagined that he would. But he was and it wasn't a dream.

"Oh my god. Ron Weasley does cocaine!" Luna exclaimed in despair. "What should I do?"

Her eyes fell on her owl and she had a sudden burst of brilliance. She grabbed a new bottle of ink and some parchment and dashed to a table.

Dear Harry and Hermione,

How are you? How's training going? I know I never write but this is an extreme emergency. Ok I live across the street from this alley that Ron likes to hang out in all the time and I sometimes watch him from my window. Well I was doing that as usual when he disappeared for a minute. Then he sat back down and when I looked again, he was doing cocaine! I don't know if you guys know this already but I'm freaking out! I didn't know he did any type of drugs! But he's snorting cocaine and it's scaring me! I don't know what else he could possibly be doing! And earlier today, I was walking from the store when I saw him jump off the roof of a building. Thankfully, a ledge saved him from dying, but it was still a suicide attempt and I'm just really worried about him. What should I do? He doesn't want to be anywhere near me so I was hoping maybe one of you could talk to him! God only knows how many other drugs he does! It's terrifying! I hope I didn't upset you with this! I hope you guys are ok and I'm sorry to bother you but I didn't know who else to turn to!

Hoping you'll write soon,

Luna

She folded it up and rushed over to her owl and tied the letter to its leg. "Hurry and get this to Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Please be quick."

She released the owl and watched it fly away before turning her attention back to Ron. He was now drinking insane amounts of alcohol. She felt her heart drop. Ron Weasley was an alcoholic and a drug addict. She didn't know. And now she didn't know how she felt. She wanted to help him more than anything, but she knew he wouldn't accept her help. She only hoped Harry and Hermione would write back soon and tell her what to do, or do something themselves before it was too late.

End Chapter 2 

Ok review! I know Ron isn't the type to do drugs or become a heavy drinker but that's just what I wanted to do. I hope this isn't too bad of a story. I've never tried the suicidal angst angle. It's really new to me. Well don't forget to review! Chapter 3 coming soon!


	3. Chapter 3

Ok it's the next chapter. I only have one review so thank you for reviewing my story! It's nice to know someone is actually reading it. Anyways R&R.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is still not mine.

Chapter 3 

"Harry! Harry!" Hermione yelled, running up to him, a piece of parchment clutched in her hand. Her face was white and her hands were shaking. "Read this."

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, taking the parchment. His eyes scrolled down the letter and his eyes widened. He tossed the parchment to the floor and grabbed his cloak.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked, bewildered.

"Going to find Ron," Harry replied shortly. "What else would I be doing?"

"You can't!" Hermione exclaimed. "We have a very important exam today!"

"Ron's life is in danger! We need to help him!" Harry yelled.

"But we can't leave and Luna knows that. That's why she wants us to tell her what to do. She can take care of it for us," Hermione replied. "We need to calm down."

"Calm down? How can you say that? You're paler than the moon and you're shaking like mad. All I want to do is go help him. You need to calm down."

"I know Harry. But we can't go. Look, as soon as the exams are over we can go find him and get him help." She grabbed a fresh piece of parchment. "Let's write the letter."

"You do it," Harry said. "I need to be alone."

Dear Luna,

Thank you very much for writing to us. It's nice to know that someone is looking out for Ron while we're away. Now I know it's upsetting to see him like this but you can't just tell him he can't do it. There are several things you need to do. First, find his drug dealer and give him/her a message from me. Tell him/her that if he/she keeps selling Ron drugs and alcohol, he/she will be hexed to hell. Second, you need to keep him from being able to kill himself. Go to his house and take away anything that doesn't look safe. The key is taped down to the bottom of the parchment. Harry is cutting Ron's money supply off til he is cured. We're writing to a rehab center to get him help. Hopefully it will work. I can't really think of much to help otherwise because I know Ron. He is very stubborn and doesn't like to listen to others. One thing you can't do is tell him that it's ok for him to be like this because of his family. He will continue to use it as his excuse. Well let me tell you something. Depressed as he is, this addiction is not because of his family. It's because he doesn't know how to cope. He doesn't want to face reality. Letting him use this excuse isn't a good idea. Don't let him trick you into thinking that he has a right to be this upset. Harry lost his parents when he was still a baby but he's not suicidal and he's not taking drugs and drinking alcohol. Just do as I said and let us take care of the rest. Please keep Ron safe for us til we can come out and help him ourselves. When our exams are finished we're coming out to see him. Til then, take care of him and yourself.

Love from,

Hermione

Luna took the key off the parchment and folded the letter. She glanced out the window and saw Ron. He looked worse than he had all week. He was leaning against the wall, his eyes closed, yet she knew he wasn't sleeping. It hurt her to know that he didn't want their help. She really wanted to save him from his hell.

"Ron, I hope you don't get mad at me," Luna said to herself. She took a deep breath and headed for his house.

When she walked in, the first thing she noticed was that all the mirrors were broken. Shards of glass littered the floor. She took a mental note to get rid of all of it. She then headed into his bathroom. It was a dirty mess and the sink was broken. She opened his medicine cabinet and saw several bottles of depression medicine, as well as quite a few illegal drugs. She turned on the water and dumped all the bottles' contents down the drain.

A few hours later, she left his house. All the clothes and sheets were spotless, the glass completely gone, the alcohol and drugs down the drain, and the entire house looked less gloomy. She had found a few IOU's for Flint so she figured out who was selling him the drugs.

"I think it's time to pay Flint a visit," she said to herself.

Ron was sitting in his little corner, wondering vaguely why Luna had gotten a letter from Harry. He had seen Hedwig fly over to Luna's house earlier but didn't really think much of it. He saw her leave quickly, but not before giving him a strange look. He didn't really care to know why she looked at him like that but it still bothered him a bit. He was waiting for Harry to send him more money. He closed his eyes and sighed, not noticing that someone had just sat next to him.

"Ron?"

"Luna?" Ron's eyes shot open in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to talk to you," Luna replied. "Will you listen?"

"I'll think about it," Ron said, turning away from her.

"Let me take you out," Luna said suddenly.

"Excuse me?"

"I want to take you out."

"Like a date?"

"Not if you don't want it to be. We can go somewhere as friends to talk. You need to go somewhere other than this."

"Why do you want to go somewhere with me?" he asked.

"Because I see you here every day and I think you deserve to go somewhere different. I won't make you go and I'm not trying to pressure you," she said. "I just want to do something with you."

He sighed. "Fine. Where do you want to go?"

She smiled. "You'll see."

Dear Hermione,

Thank you for the last letter. I'm glad to be helping in any way I can. I took care of his dealer, Marcus Flint. He's too scared to go anywhere near Ron. I dumped all his drugs and alcohol down the drains and cleaned up his entire apartment. I noticed that he broke all the mirrors in his house. Any reason for that? His house is much more likeable now. It looked so depressing before. Ok I know that this sounds a little sudden but I'm going to try to take him out with me to get him to cheer up a little bit. I don't know if you know this but I like Ron. A lot. And I really want to help him out. If you don't want me to try to start a relationship with him then I'll understand. We all just want what's best for him. Well, good luck with your exams and hope to see you soon.

Waiting for a reply,

Luna

"Luna took care of Ron's drug dealer," Hermione said to Harry.

"Who was it?" Harry asked, lowering his book.

"Marcus Flint," Hermione replied shortly.

"Flint? The old Slytherin Chaser and captain?" Harry asked, revolted. Hermione nodded. "Why in the hell would Ron ever talk to him? Even if he was desperate for something, I don't think he would talk to Flint."

"Flint sells drugs now and it's what Ron wanted," Hermione said. "Just don't worry about it. She's taking care of things."

"That's good," Harry said, lifting up his book again.

"There's something else," Hermione said warily. Harry raised his eyebrows. "Luna likes Ron. She…wants to try to start…a relationship with him."

"Well that's a good thing, isn't it?" Harry asked. "She'll take care of him."

"So you don't mind?" Hermione asked in relief.

"Not at all," Harry answered. "Tell her I give her my full blessing."

"Well I hope things go good between them. She plans on taking him out soon."

"Will that actually work? She said he was furious with her."

"She thinks that if she tries to go slowly and just try to let him know that she wants to talk and everything then he might accept. It's not a brilliant idea but it's a start."

"Well Hermione if you help her she might be able to do it. As long as she's helping Ron I'm ok with whatever she does."

"Me too. I'm just hoping that this works. She said he broke all the mirrors in his house. Do you know why?"

"He doesn't want to see his reflection anymore," Harry said shortly. "He told me so before. He looks like his family and every time he sees his face it hurts him. It makes the pain easier to bear, I guess."

"It's not healthy," Hermione pointed out.

"Obviously," Harry said, rolling his eyes. "Look, there's not much more we can do. We just have to sit back and hope that Luna knows what she's doing."

End Chapter 3 

Review please! Yes I know that Ron isn't like this in the book but if you think about it, he would be pretty damn depressed if his family died. I'm trying to make it believable though. And if the Weasleys all died in book 7 I would kill JKR. I know I killed them but it's not canon. It's just an experiment. Anyways review please! Chapter 4 coming soon!


	4. Chapter 4

It's a new chapter! I went out of town for a few days and now I'm ready to continue on with this story. Hope you like this chapter. R&R.

Disclaimer: I can only dream that Harry Potter is mine.

Chapter 4 

"Luna, are you out of your mind?" Ron asked.

"No. Why would you ask?" Luna asked.

"Because you took me to a casino," he replied shortly.

"What's wrong with that? You need to have a little fun, and what could be more fun than gambling and having a good time?"

"Someone definitely suggested this to you."

"I can't believe you would suggest that!" she exclaimed. "It was all my idea. I swear."

"Well it's a really bad idea," he muttered.

Luna took him by the hand and dragged him over to the slot machines. He sighed and wondered what in the world possessed him to agree to come with her. He was busy contemplating this and didn't notice someone sneak up behind them.

"Would you like a drink?" a voice asked.

"Seamus! What are you doing here?" Luna asked in surprise.

"I work here," Seamus replied. Luna grabbed a drink. "What are you two doing here?"

"Just hanging out and having fun," Luna said.

"So Ron, how have you been?" Seamus asked.

"I been alright," Ron said quietly. "Things are very different."

"I reckon they would be," Seamus agreed. "I've been hoping to see you again. I always liked your brothers and sister. They were nice people." He sighed. "Dean hasn't been the same since it happened. I think he was still in love with Ginny."

"I honestly don't give a damn about Dean," Ron said. "He really hurt my sister and that pisses me off. If I never see him again, I'll be damn happy. He better pray he doesn't meet me in the streets because if he does, I'll kill him."

Luna sighed. She brought him here to cheer him up and take his mind off his family, not make him even angrier. She really wanted Ron to revert back to his old self, but she couldn't think of a way to do it. Harry and Hermione were gone, and she couldn't think of anyone else who knew Ron that well. She was thinking about asking Seamus for help, but Seamus was friends with Dean and Ron hated Dean. She had no more ideas.

"So, how's business?" Luna asked, keen to change the subject.

"Busy," Seamus replied. "What else would it be? It's a casino. Everyone loves to gamble and drink. How could business not be busy?"

"Is the pay good?" Luna asked.

"It's decent. I mean, it's not the greatest pay ever but it's good enough," Seamus answered. "So what do you do?"

"I'm an editor for The Quibbler," Luna replied.

"Good pay?" Seamus asked.

"It's nice," Luna said. "But I really enjoy my job. It's fun."

"Mine's not bad, I guess," Seamus said. "So what about you, Ron? Do you have a job?"

"No," Ron replied shortly.

Luna sighed. A subject change didn't help at all. Ron just wasn't coming out of his mood. She didn't think he should be drinking, but she was with him and she was sure that he would be just fine. She began to wonder if he would be happier after he got drunk. Seamus had started telling Ron a story about a fight in the casino the other day, so Luna decided to walk around. She didn't really know anyone there and didn't know what she was really doing. She just felt like walking.

"Hey Luna," a voice said from behind her. She turned around. It was Dean. "I need to talk to you."

"Um…ok," she said, turning around to make sure that Ron didn't see them. She didn't want him to go crazy. "What do you want to talk to me about?"

"You were close friends with Ginny, right?"

"I guess you could say something like that."

"Did she…say anything about her feelings for me before…it happened?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because…it's important to me."

Luna crossed her arms. "I'm not comfortable with sharing her feelings to you. If she wanted you to know how she felt, she would've told you, not me."

"She would've wanted to keep it a secret from Ron," Dean replied.

"I'm not telling you anything," Luna said.

"Could you at least think about it? Please?" Dean pleaded.

Luna sighed. "I guess I could think about it."

"Great! Well, when you decide to tell me, just come back here. I'm always here during Seamus' shift."

"Do you work here too?"

"No."

"Ok. See you."

She walked away and sighed. She wasn't sure if it was a good idea to tell him that she would think about it. But she had already told him she would so it was too late to change her mind. She walked back over to Ron, who was by himself.

"Where's Seamus?" she asked.

"He had to get back to work," he said grumpily. "Ready to go yet?"

"No! We haven't really done anything yet!" she exclaimed. "Come on! We need to go win big!"

They spent the next few hours drinking, playing, and having fun. Luna won two hundred and fifty galleons on the slots machines and Ron won four twenty-five galleons on the roulette. After a while, Ron was acting like he didn't have a care in the world. He was no longer depressed and even acted like nothing had happened to his family. Luna thought that he was so wasted that he had forgotten everything, and wondered if she should keep him from drinking, but she decided that he needed this. She would break his drinking habit later. Right now he needed to have fun.

Seamus had been watching them all night. He noticed an immediate change in Ron once he had started drinking, and he saw that Luna was more comfortable around him than before. He knew she had been strange when they were at Hogwarts, and figured she was still the same, but he did see that she had become a little more down-to-earth. He knew that she might be just what Ron needed right now. He noticed that it was getting close to closing time, but he didn't want to interrupt them.

"Guys, you need to get on outta here. We gotta close up," Seamus said to them.

Luna turned around. "But we're on a winning streak!" she exclaimed.

"Well, it's gonna have to be on hold til tomorrow night," Seamus replied. "So scoot."

"Fine," Luna grumbled. She grabbed Ron's hand. "Let's go."

"I don't want to," Ron mumbled.

"Well you are anyway," Luna replied, dragging him out. "Have a good night Seamus!"

"You too!" Seamus called after them.

Luna was dragging Ron across the damp streets. She slipped slightly on a puddle of water, but kept a firm grip on his hand. He wasn't putting up a fight, but he also wasn't going with her willingly. He was just letting himself slide across the wet pavement. She had her wand out just in case, and tried to get him to do the same, but she couldn't find his wand and he wasn't saying where it was. She stopped for a minute under a lamppost with a flickering light.

"Ron, are you ok?" she asked. "You haven't said anything since we left."

"I'm fine," he mumbled. "I just don't feel like talking."

She sighed. "You used to feel like talking all the time…"

"Yeah well those days are over."

"I wish they weren't…" she said to herself. "Come on, let's keep going."

She continued to drag him home. While they were walking, Luna heard something moving in the shadows. It was creeping her out. She wasn't sure if it was a person or an animal, and wasn't sure if she wanted to find out. She was trying to find a brightly lit area so she could lose whatever was following her or discover who or what it was. She wasn't sure if she wanted to find out though. If it was dangerous, she wouldn't really know what to do.

"Ron," she whispered, nudging him with her arm. "Ron, I think we're being followed."

"That's nice," Ron said.

"No it's not!" she whispered. "Be quiet before it hears us!"

"Maybe it'll be a good thing if it does. That way it'll go away," he replied.

"But what if it's dangerous?"

"Then we die. No big deal."

"Death is a big deal!" she exclaimed quietly. "Look, you may be suicidal but I don't want to die. And I don't want you to die either. So please just help me out."

"I don't want to," he said shortly. He jerked his hand away. "And I don't have to either."

He started walking away. He had only reached the end of the sidewalk when he ran right into a pole and fell over. Luna gasped and ran up to him. There were no lights, so she lit her wand up. He was sprawled out on the ground, groaning slightly. She shook him.

"Ron, wake up," she said quietly.

He groaned and opened his eyes a little. "Ginny?" he whispered in awe. "Is that you?"

Then he blacked out and knew no more.

End Chapter 4 

Ok review please! I hope you liked it! I know it's been a while but I've been on vacation and I just started school. I'm a real busy person. But I'll update when I can. Don't forget to review! Chapter 5 coming soon!


	5. Chapter 5

Yippee. Another chapter. Hope you like it. R&R.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is still not mine.

Chapter 5 

Luna waited patiently for two hours for Ron to wake up. She applied cool cloths to his forehead and had a spoon of Pepper-up Potion ready for him in case he needed some. She watched him stir slightly and mumble something. She started to wonder if he was sleeping. And then she remembered what he had said right before he passed out…She had no idea what she was going to do about that. Maybe he would forget…maybe not. She just had to hope that he would. Ten minutes after he stirred, his eyes fluttered open.

"What happened?" he asked, holding his head.

"You hit your head and passed out," she replied.

"Luna? What are you doing here?" he asked in a confused voice.

"I'm taking care of you," she said slowly. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"I remember…nothing," he replied. "I don't remember a thing."

"Do you remember the last thing that you saw or did?" she asked anxiously.

"No," he said.

Luna sighed. She knew this might happen. Temporary amnesia. But why he remembered her name was a mystery…She sighed again and looked over at him. He had fallen asleep again.

"Shit! Ron, wake up! Wake up!" Luna exclaimed, shaking him. "Don't fall asleep. You could slip into a coma if there's head trauma."

Could you get head trauma from hitting your head on a pole? She didn't know. But he did bleed for about an hour before he woke up. There could be some slight damage there. She wanted to take him to a hospital to get him cleaned up, but St. Mungo's was too far away and she didn't know where the Muggle hospital was. She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. Ron opened his eyes again.

"What? What do you have to go waking me up for?" Ron asked irritably. "I was trying to get a good night's sleep."

"Ron? What's going on?" Luna asked warily.

"I was sleeping and you woke me up," Ron replied shortly. "Go back to your dormitory and leave me alone."

"What in the world are you on about?" Luna asked impatiently. "We're not at Hogwarts. We're in my apartment. Don't you remember?"

"Remember what?" Ron asked, his expression completely blank again.

Luna sighed. "Do you remember anything at all?"

"No," Ron said.

She sighed again. This was weird. She had no experience in brain damage or amnesia. She didn't know anyone that did, either. Could this be an after effect of the drugs he was taking? Did he perhaps have too much to drink? Does alcohol mess up his brain functions? She just didn't know. When she turned around, he was sleeping again.

"Ron, you need to get up," she said gently, hoping he wouldn't flip out again. "You can't be sleeping right now."

"Come on. I'm not five years old," he mumbled sleepily.

"Then don't act like it," she said.

"God Hermione why can't you ever leave me alone?" he asked.

"Excuse me? Who are you calling Hermione?" she asked defensively.

"You, dingbat," he snapped.

Oh boy. This was bad. Now he thought she was Hermione. Did he really not remember anything? Maybe she should ask again.

"Ron, what's the last thing you remember?" Luna asked.

"Nothing," Ron said suddenly, his expression blank once more. "I don't remember a thing."

Did he have a split personality or something? One minute he was snappy, the next he was brainless. This was getting really old really fast. She needed to find someone to help her soon. Maybe the potion would help…No. It would make him even crazier, if that was possible. She wondered if this sudden memory lapse had something to do with him calling her Ginny earlier. Maybe he thinks he's dead or something.

"Ron, do you know where you're at?" Luna asked.

"Not a clue," Ron answered with a yawn.

Well at least he doesn't think he's dead. Did whoever was following us place a memory charm on him? If so, then I'm screwed. I don't know how to reverse one. I guess I could just keep asking him questions til he starts to make sense of something. Or maybe I should say _if_ he starts to make sense of something. Maybe I could find something to trigger his memory…but what?

"Ron, do you remember Hogwarts?" Luna asked.

"Never heard of it," Ron replied.

Oh shit.

"Do you know what a wizard is?" Luna asked.

"They don't exist," Ron said.

Damn it.

"What do you remember?"

"…Nothing."

Luna growled in frustration. She didn't know what the hell was wrong with him but it was driving her crazy. She knew nothing on the subject and there wasn't enough time to write to anyone about it. Her best bet was to get him to St. Mungo's or get his memory back herself. But how?

"Ron, will you do something for me please?" Luna asked as calmly as she could.

"What?"

"Will you tell me your last memory?"

"Don't have one."

He dropped off to sleep as soon as he said that. She wondered if he was doing this on purpose or if he really had lost his mind. She sighed and grabbed her work. If he was going to sleep, she was going to finish editing an article. She sat there for twenty minutes crossing off words and sentences when he started to stir again. She started to get up, but he was motionless once again. So she returned to her work and watched him out of the corners of her eyes.

"_**Ron, where are you going?" Ginny asked.**_

"_**I'm going to head to France for the summer," Ron replied. "Would you like to join me?"**_

"_**I wish I could," Ginny said. "But I've agreed to work at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes with Fred and George. I'm sorry. Why don't you go with Hermione?"**_

"_**She's going to Bulgaria for the summer with Viktor Krum," Ron replied bitterly. **_

"_**So she's back with Krum?" Ginny asked.**_

"_**Of course. She never wanted me," Ron replied. "No one does but my own family."**_

"_**But we don't want you either," Ginny said. "We want to be dead, just to be away from you. We hate you. It's your fault the entire family is dead. I can't believe you betrayed us like that."**_

"No! Don't say that!" Ron exclaimed, tears forming in his eyes. Ginny laughed evilly. "Don't say that! Please! No!"

Luna watched as the expression on his face changed from relaxed to panicked. He was starting to sweat and shake. She rushed over and tried to calm him down. He must've been having a very bad dream. His face was tightening up and tears were pouring out of his eyes, despite the fact that they were shut. He was screaming at the top of his lungs, but he wouldn't wake up.

"I don't want to do this, Ron," Luna said, withdrawing her wand. "But I have to. Petrificus Totalus."

Ron was immobile, but the look on his face was still there. She felt awful having to do that, but she knew that nothing else would calm him down. She wondered if she would be able to see what he was dreaming. Could a pensieve work if someone else took the memory? But she didn't have one…damn it that plan wouldn't work.

"Ron, are you ok?" Harry asked, concerned.

"_**I'm fine," Ron replied. "Why wouldn't I be fine?"**_

"_**Because your family is dead," Harry said.**_

"_**But we got them justice when you murdered Voldemort," Ron said.**_

"_**No we didn't," Harry said. "Your family's murderer is still alive." He stepped forward. "You killed your family, not Voldemort."**_

"_**No I didn't!" Ron yelled. "You're lying!"**_

"You know it's true."

Luna applied a cool cloth to his forehead and wiped the tears from his face. She could tell the dream was causing him a lot of pain. The spell had worn off, but he seemed to have entered another dream, because he was thrashing again. And as suddenly as he started, he stopped. His eyes opened.

"Ron, do you know who I am?" Luna asked anxiously.

"Of course I do," Ron replied. "You're Luna Lovegood."

"Do you remember anything at all?" Luna asked.

"I do now," Ron said.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"Harry, Hermione, and I were getting ready to go Horcrux hunting," Ron said happily. "To destroy Voldemort once and for all."

End Chapter 5 

Review please! Hope you liked this chapter. Yes, Ron is like schizophrenic or something but I'm not trying to make him totally seem that way. It's an insanity angle I'm working with here. The next few chapters are going to talk about everything that happened between Half-Blood Prince and the start of this story. Don't forget to review. Chapter 6 coming soon!


	6. Chapter 6

Ok here's the next chapter. The next few will be focusing on the events that happened between Half-Blood Prince and this story's beginning. If you find that uninteresting then you should probably skip them. Otherwise, enjoy! R&R.

Disclaimer: Do I look like J.K. Rowling to you? Didn't think so.

Chapter 6 

Luna just stared at him. "Horcrux hunting. That's the last thing you remember?"

"Yup," Ron replied. "Speaking of, where are Harry and Hermione?" He looked around the room, as if he was expecting them to pop out of the shadows.

"They're not here," Luna said. "So, you can't remember anything after that?"

"The last thing I remember is after Bill and Fleur's wedding, Harry told me and Hermione that he was ready to set off and see if we could find the Horcruxes," Ron replied.

"Anything else?" Luna asked.

Ron screwed up his face in concentration. "He might've mentioned going to Godric's Hollow before we left."

Luna sighed. This was bad. It looked as though she had to tell him everything that happened in the past few years. That would be extremely difficult, seeing as she didn't even know all of it. She only knew what she had read, seen, and heard. And, what Harry had told her, of course. So she could only hope that something she said would trigger something in his memory so she wouldn't have to give him only half of what he used to know.

"Uh, Ron? There's something you need to know," Luna said.

"What's that?" Ron asked, sitting up.

"It's…not when you think it is," Luna replied lamely.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked, puzzled.

Luna took a deep breath. "It's been…two years since your last memory," she said.

Ron gaped at her. "I hope you're joking. You've got to be! There's no way I'd forget two whole years! Unless I wasn't around for them. Did I get knocked out into a coma and not wake up for two years? Was I missing? Was I cryogenically frozen? Did I use a time turner to get here? Luna, what happened?"

"Calm down," Luna said, trying to get him to lay back down. "It was none of the above. We were walking home together and you hit your head on a pole. I think there was some head trauma, and it's obvious you've had brain damage, but I don't know if it's temporary memory loss or permanent memory loss. I would bring you to St. Mungo's if I could get there from here without using magic."

"Well, here's an idea," Ron said. "Why don't you tell me what the hell has happened in the last two years? I can't just go around not knowing!"

"I don't know _everything_ that happened in the last two years that you knew, but I know a majority of it. Or, I at least know what I've read, seen, and heard. And what Harry told me, of course," Luna said.

"Where are Harry and Hermione?" Ron asked.

"That'll come later," Luna answered. "Now, I guess I'll just start with the start of term."

"That works," Ron said.

"It all started on the Hogwarts Express. Lots of people didn't show up for the train, since so many parents had withdrawn their kids during the previous term. But the train was fairly packed, considering how many students wouldn't be returning. I was sitting in a compartment with Neville Longbottom and Ginny when I heard voices from the next compartment. I didn't want to listen, but Ginny insisted on opening the door just enough to let the voices in. And it turned out that it was you, Harry, and Hermione talking," Luna explained. "Now, you weren't talking loud, but we could hear you anyway. I was surprised because rumor was that the three of you weren't going to be returning for your final year at Hogwarts. But you were there, on the train. And so we listened."

"Do you remember what we were saying?" Ron asked.

Luna nodded. "I remember every word of it."

Flashback… 

"Are you sure you want to be going back?" Ron asked. "I know you said you weren't coming back, but you suddenly changed your mind, and you never said why."

"_**I'm sure," Harry replied firmly. "I have this feeling that being back will help me, though I don't know why."**_

"_**Maybe one of the Horcruxes is hidden at Hogwarts," Hermione said. "I've been thinking about that all summer. It seems like the perfect place. He would choose something that belonged at Hogwarts and make it a Horcrux, knowing that no one would destroy it. People just don't go around destroying important Hogwarts items."**_

"_**That's what I'm thinking too," Harry said. "Now, I've made a sort of list to keep track of everything that's been done and what needs to be done. Horcrux wise-Dumbledore destroyed the ring and I destroyed the diary and locket."**_

"_**If that really was the locket," Ron said. "It might've been another fake."**_

_**Harry shook his head. "I don't really believe that. It looked more like the one from Hokey the House-elf's memory that Dumbledore showed me last year. But what it was doing in Sirius's parent's house, I don't know."**_

"_**Whoever R.A.B. is probably hid it there," Hermione said. "But that doesn't matter right now. We need to focus on your list again."**_

"_**Right. So the ring, diary, and locket are gone. That leaves the cup, snake, something of Gryffindor's or Ravenclaw's, and the piece in Voldemort himself," Harry said. "We know where the final piece is, obviously, and the snake is always with Voldemort, so that will probably be the last Horcrux we destroy. I don't know where the cup would be at and I don't know how to find out. But we can search Hogwarts for it and the mystery item."**_

"_**That takes care of the Horcruxes," Ron said. "What else is there to take care of?"**_

"_**We have to find Snape," Harry replied angrily. "I want to cause him as much pain as possible for what he did. And I also want to find Malfoy and Wormtail. I've still got unfinished business with those two."**_

"_**But that will have to wait," Hermione said. "We need to be quiet about what we're doing or we won't be able to do a thing."**_

"_**Yeah, I agree," Ron said. "I don't want my sister finding out either. She's just too young to be involved in all of this."**_

"_**Too young?" Ginny hissed. "That's ridiculous! I'm the same age as he was last year, and look at everything he did!"**_

"_**I know," I said consolingly. "Ron is just being ridiculous."**_

"_**Once we get to Hogwarts, we have to continue our search. Don't ask anyone for help. Use the Invisibility Cloak and Marauder's Map when necessary," Harry said. "If you get a lead, tell me."**_

"_**I'm going to help them whether they like it or not," Ginny said. "I don't want them doing this without me."**_

_**End Flashback**_

"So we had already destroyed a Horcrux when term started?" Ron asked. Luna nodded. "And Ginny was determined to help us? Wow, I bet that didn't go over too well."

"Oh, it definitely didn't," Luna said. "One night in October, she was out looking for something she thought might be a Horcrux when you and Hermione found her. I was returning from the bathroom and saw the whole thing. It was bad."

Flashback… 

"_**Hermione, I told you about a hundred times. I don't think the library is going to have anything on Horcruxes. Harry even said that You-Know-Who had to ask Slughorn about them because there was nothing in any book he ever read," Ron said.**_

"_**But I'm not expecting to find something about Horcruxes in the books," Hermione said impatiently. "I'm trying to find references to any important Gryffindor or Ravenclaw items that might turn out to be Horcruxes."**_

"_**Oh I doubt a book is going to help you, seeing as how you still wouldn't know what the item looked like," Ron snapped.**_

"_**There would be a picture in the book," Hermione snapped back.**_

"_**Oh yeah? Well how could you-Ginny?" Ron stopped mid-sentence. "Ginny Weasley, what are you doing here at this hour?"**_

"_**None of your business," Ginny said, turning away from him. "And you know, I could be asking you the same thing."**_

"_**We were in the library looking up something important," Ron replied. "Now tell me what you were doing." He paused for a second. "Hang on. You're not trying to search for the Horcruxes, are you?" **_

_**Ginny averted her eyes. "What makes you say that?"**_

"_**I know you better than you think," Ron said shortly.**_

"_**What's it to you if I am?" Ginny asked angrily. "I'm allowed to do things if I want to, Ron! You're not the boss of me."**_

"_**I am when we're at school," Ron retorted. "I'm the oldest brother now, so it's my job to watch you."**_

"_**You obviously haven't been doing that great of a job, though, have you? Not if I've been searching for Horcruxes since we got here," Ginny replied. "And I'll have you know that I think I found one."**_

"_**What?" Hermione asked. "Which one?"**_

"_**Hufflepuff's cup," Ginny answered. "I believe it's somewhere in the trophy room."**_

"_**I doubt one of You-Know-Who's Horcruxes is gonna be hidden away in the trophy room," Ron said, rolling his eyes. "And anyway, don't change the subject! You shouldn't be up at this hour, especially not looking for something we told you had nothing to do with you!"**_

"_**You're wrong!" Ginny exclaimed. "It has everything to do with me. And everything to do with everyone, because if you think about it, these Horcruxes determine whether or not You-Know-Who is weak enough to be killed. And I think You-Know-Who's fate affects everyone, not just you, Harry, and Hermione!"**_

"_**But that doesn't mean you can just go around poking your nose where it doesn't belong," Ron said.**_

"_**Ginny's just trying to help," Hermione pointed out.**_

"_**I don't care," Ron said. "If I ever catch you doing it again, I'll write to Mum and Dad and tell them what you've been doing."**_

_**End Flashback**_

"Wow," Ron said. "So, was the cup in the trophy room?"

"I don't know," Luna replied. "I know that the cup was destroyed some time before Christmas break, but I don't know when. Like I said, I only know some of what happened."

"Did anything else happen?" Ron asked.

"When we came back after Christmas break, Professor Trelawney was dead," Luna answered. "You-Know-Who found out that she made that prophecy about Harry and one of his Death Eaters tried to get her to make the prophecy again. When she couldn't do it, they killed her."

"How did a Death Eater get to Hogwarts to do that?" Ron asked, horrified.

"It happened in Hogsmeade," Luna replied. "She was out in Hogsmeade by special invitation, by whoever killed her I assume."

"Wow. I always knew she was a fraud, but she didn't deserve to die because of it," Ron said. He stopped. "Wait, how did you know about the prophecy?"

"I was with you in the Department of Mysteries, remember? Ginny found out what it said from eavesdropping, and she told me about it because we're friends," Luna explained.

"Any other shocking deaths?" Ron asked.

"The Patil sisters were both killed during Easter break when they were in Diagon Alley. That was a big one among the students. And Crabbe and Goyle left school two weeks after they died," Luna said.

"But their parents were Death Eaters. Why would they think they were in danger?" Ron asked.

"I never said they thought they were in danger," Luna answered. "From what I heard during that summer, they became Death Eaters too."

"Crabbe and Goyle, Death Eaters? They're way too stupid!" Ron exclaimed in surprise.

"I don't think stupidity matters," Luna said. "There were several murders over the summer, but no one you would really know. Then last year, my last year at Hogwarts, the war still wasn't over. You-Know-Who still wasn't dead. From what Harry told me, he spent that summer searching for him and the snake, but didn't know where they could possibly be. So it sounds like you guys had destroyed the other Horcruxes. Anyway, when term started up, we found out that Filch and Mrs. Norris were dead."

"Bet not many people cared about that one," Ron said.

"It was shocking. That's all I'll say about that. Then in October we got word that Cho Chang and Oliver Wood were killed too," Luna said.

"Wood was killed?" Ron repeated, shocked. "That's…wow. And Cho? That news must've struck Harry hard."

"I don't know. I hadn't heard from him when that happened," Luna said.

"Anything else?" Ron asked.

"They found Ollivander's body over Christmas break. And that Macnair guy killed Fudge," Luna replied.

"Fudge died?" Ron asked, his eyes wide. "My god, they started killing Ministry members."

"Things got really crazy," Luna said. "When Ginny and I finished our final year at Hogwarts, we were actually happy to go. Things just weren't the same anymore. So many people had gone from the school that McGonagall was still considering closing it. I was happy that I at least got to finish there. It would've sucked if I had spent so long studying magic only to have to quit right before I was done."

"Is the school still open now?" Ron asked.

"I'm coming to that," Luna answered impatiently. "You're trying to rush me. If I don't tell everything in order, you won't understand."

"Did we ever find out what happened to Malfoy?" Ron asked.

"I'll explain all that later," Luna replied. "But right now, you need to think over what I've told you. I'll continue up when you're ready."

"But I'm ready now," Ron protested.

Luna sighed. "Fine. But this next part is long. Because now it's time for me to tell you what happened the summer after I finished Hogwarts."

"What's so important about it?"

"That's the summer that _everything_ happened."

End Chapter 6 

Ok review please! Yeah I know it wasn't brilliant, but I'm not Rowling and I don't know exactly what is going to happen in the seventh book. So my version is basically that. It's what I'm saying happened in the seventh book, since I don't know for sure. If you don't like it then that's your problem. Next chapter is all about Harry's defeat of Voldemort, and the events that lead up to it. Don't forget to review! Chapter 7 coming soon!


	7. Chapter 7

Here's the next chapter. It's still going over what happened in the past two years. This one is going to explain Voldemort's defeat and the events leading up to it. R&R.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or its characters.

**Chapter 7**

"Well, what exactly happened in the summer that everything happened?" Ron asked irritably.

"Ok. Let's see…maybe I should start with Hogwarts," Luna replied. "A few weeks after school let out, there was a break-in. No one knew who did it or how, but all they do know was that the trophy room was ransacked, but nothing was taken. It confused the hell outta some people."

"Was You-Know-Who trying to see if his Horcrux was still there?" Ron asked.

"Your guess is as good as anyone else's," Luna said. "We still have no idea what that was all about. Anyway, after that, everyone was on alert at Hogwarts, and extra protection was being added. Harry and Hermione had started Auror training already, and were doing quite well. Hermione was seeing Krum and Harry was getting close to finishing his Horcrux job."

"Hermione was seeing Krum?" Ron asked in disbelief. "But what about…"

"What about what?" Luna asked.

"What about me?" Ron asked. "I mean, last I remember, me and Hermione were doing pretty good. I was sure we'd start going out soon."

"Well, that was going to happen. But then Krum came back into the picture and Hermione went to him instead," Luna said. "You were pretty torn up about it. But then you started going out with Susan Bones and things were going better for you."

"Susan Bones? How the hell did that happen?" Ron asked.

"You two met up again after you finished Hogwarts and got to be good friends. You asked her out a few weeks later," Luna replied. "Anyways, things were finally starting to settle down. Or so it seemed. A week after the break-in, there was a mass Muggle killing in London. Looked like the work of giants, which was worrying the wizard community. They were hoping giants hadn't completely allied with You-Know-Who. But you know, it's like what Hermione was saying in her last year. We should've tried to get the giants on our side when we had the chance."

"What did Scrimgeour have to say about that?" Ron asked.

"Tried to act like it wasn't his fault or anything. Kept going on and on about how Fudge never did anything about it and that's why they sided with You-Know-Who. Turned into a pretty nasty debate within the Ministry and the public," Luna answered.

"It's both of their faults," Ron said bitterly. "Stupid gits."

"During that time, another Hogwarts break-in was attempted, but this one failed. Someone tried to get into Dumbledore's old office, but didn't know the password. Tried to force their way in. From what I heard, whoever it was wanted Dumbledore's Pensieve. I didn't know he even had one. Anyway, You-Know-Who believed that Dumbledore's memory of the prophecy was stored in the Pensieve, and he wanted it bad," Luna explained. "Thankfully, it didn't happen. I wonder if the Pensieve really did have the memory stored within."

"We'll never know," Ron said. "So, did You-Know-Who try to attempt another break-in?"

"No," Luna said. "Security was tightened by ten-fold. They didn't wanna risk it again."

"So what happened after that?" Ron asked.

"Well, there were lots more deaths and attacks, but none that need mentioning right now," Luna replied. "Anyway, Harry had found You-Know-Who's lair in the winter and decided to go in alone. He had destroyed all the Horcruxes already, and was ready for the big fight. You and Hermione had to stay behind. I don't know the sequence of events or anything but I've got a pretty good idea."

"What were they?" Ron asked.

"Well, Draco Malfoy met Harry when Harry arrived. They started dueling, but Draco lost. When he did lose, he ended up going with Harry, but only because Harry forced him. So Draco led him to where You-Know-Who was. But my guess is that You-Know-Who knew that Harry was coming, because Harry touched the doorknob and was transported to the graveyard where You-Know-Who was resurrected," Luna explained.

"Then what happened?" Ron asked.

"You-Know-Who Apparated in and killed Draco, figuring out that he led Harry there. Lucius Malfoy got angry and You-Know-Who killed him too. Anyway, Harry and You-Know-Who started dueling, but things weren't going so well for Harry. Then miraculously, Snape stepped forward and attacked You-Know-Who to give Harry time to plan his next move," Luna explained. "You-Know-Who killed Snape, but in his distraction, he was killed by Harry."

"Wow," Ron said.

"The Death Eaters started fleeing the scene, but Ministry officials caught up with most of them, and they were put to death," Luna said.

"Is that all?" Ron asked.

Luna paused for a minute. "…Yeah."

"So that's it? There's nothing else?" Ron asked, feeling like she was hiding something from him.

"Well, there are some minor details. Harry and Hermione continued their Auror training and Hermione kept up with S.P.E.W. You sort of lost touch with them in the passing months since You-Know-Who's downfall, so I don't know what else went on. I think Harry helps pay for your apartment, actually," Luna said.

"What about my family? Are they alright?" Ron asked.

Luna paused again, unsure of what to say. "We'll talk about that later. You should get some sleep."

"Ok." He laid back and instantly went to sleep.

Luna sighed and got back to her work. She wasn't sure if she should tell him that his entire family was dead. It would devastate him. She didn't think he needed to relive that pain again. What if it made things worse? He might try to kill himself again, or worse. But he would be furious if he found out from someone else. She thought that losing his memory would help her, but she was wrong. She lied to him by making him believe that he was part of the Horcrux hunt, but he wasn't. He was sent into hiding after he finished Hogwarts, and Ginny was already dead by the time her seventh year came around. Luna felt bad about altering the facts of her story, but she knew it was necessary to keep him from going crazy again. He needed her help, and she wasn't going to let him get that bad. Not again.

**End Chapter 7**

Review please! I know that it's rushed, but my wrists hurt from typing and I'm about to lose internet so I needed to get this up as soon as possible. My events are not canon and I know it, but there's not much I can do about that. Review please! Chapter 8 coming soon!


	8. Chapter 8

Ok it's been about a month since the last chapter and I apologize for that. I've just been busy with other stories and because I've been busy, I've put two stories on hiatus. But I think I won't be doing that to this one. Just stay patient with me please. R&R.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or its characters.

**Chapter 8**

It had been several hours since their talk, but Ron still wasn't awake. Luna had finished editing the stack of articles she had and had already started mailing them off to The Quibbler's main office. Every so often, Ron would stir in his sleep and Luna would look over, wondering if he was dreaming about the events he didn't know about. Losing his memory didn't necessarily mean he lost the ability to dream about the events he forgot. She was really hoping he would forget that she still owed him an explanation about his family. She wasn't sure if she was up for it. Not only did she not want him to go crazy, she was also tired. Yawning, she looked out the window at the street below. Someone was moving in the alley that Ron regularly hung out in. She squinted at the person, and realized that it was Flint. She glanced at Ron, assuming that was why Flint was there. Ron still owed him money.

"I thought I took care of him," Luna said to herself. "I made sure he would never go near Ron again. Does he really think I forgot or something? He's out of his goddamn mind. I should go down there and remind him about our 'discussion' from a few days ago."

She grabbed her wand and was just heading out the door when Ron started to wake up. Forgetting what she was going to do, Luna dropped her wand and rushed over to Ron's side. His eyes were open and he was trying to adjust to the light. He looked around, confused, as if he didn't know how he had got there. A moment later, however, it appeared that he remembered, because he sat up and looked at Luna. She studied his face, for there was something different about him. He suddenly looked horrified, staring at her as if he had never seen anything like her before.

"Ron? Is something wrong?" Luna asked uncertainly.

"I…I can't…I can't believe you!" Ron yelled. "You lied to me!"

"What?"

"You lied to me! I remember everything now! I hit my head on a pole and lost my damn memory. You decided to fill my head with complete bullshit when I asked what had happened! I can't believe you would do that! How could you just alter the events of the past just because you didn't like how it all turned out?" Ron shouted.

"Because I didn't want to devastate you," Luna replied quietly. "I didn't want you to have to deal with the pain of losing your family twice."

"That's not your right. You can't be the one to decide what happens to me. If something serious happens, you need to be damn well honest with me. I can't trust you anymore," Ron said.

"Wait! Don't say that!" Luna exclaimed. "I didn't mean to make you mad! I just wanted to make things easier on you! Please don't be upset with me!"

"Goodbye, Luna," Ron said. He got up and headed towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Luna asked.

"Home," Ron replied shortly.

"What for?"

"To get away from you. And if you follow me there, I'll hex you so bad no one will be able to recognize you."

"Wait, Ron! Don't go! I'm sorry!" Luna exclaimed. Ron just stomped out and slammed the door. "Damn it! How could I fuck up so bad?"

Luna hurried over to the window and watched Ron walking away from her apartment. He was heading back to his apartment, but Flint was following him. Ron didn't seem to notice that he was being followed, either. Flint was keeping a close tail on him, which made Luna anxious. She didn't know if she should warn him, because Flint might attack him if she did. So she decided for herself to follow them both. She grabbed a coat and her wand and quickly and quietly hurried down towards them. It took a few minutes, but she managed to get close enough to see them, but far enough that they wouldn't see her.

Luna and Flint followed Ron all the way home. When they finally got there, however, Ron didn't go inside. He went around the back, towards a fenced area. Feeling very curious, Luna followed a little more closely. Flint, however, went straight up to Ron. He crept up on him and covered Ron's mouth with his hand. Ron flipped around, his eyes wide.

"Don't freak out. It's just me," Flint whispered. He moved his hand. "Sorry, but I didn't want you to scream."

"It's fine," Ron said, sounding angry.

"What's wrong with you?" Flint asked, annoyed.

"I've just had some problems lately," Ron replied.

"Anything I can do to fix them? I've got lots on me tonight," Flint said.

"Don't got any money," Ron said.

Flint eyed him suspiciously. "You were supposed to repay your IOU's today. What's taking so long?"

"Harry's being a dick. He hasn't sent me any money lately," Ron replied. "If this keeps up, I'll have to pay him a personal visit."

"Well, until then, I'll need some form of payment," Flint said. "What do you got?"

"Nothing," Ron said simply.

"Fine," Flint said. He thought for a moment. "Suck it."

"Excuse me?" Ron said, confused.

"I said, suck it. Get on your hands and knees and suck it," Flint repeated. Luna's eyes went wide and she covered her mouth.

"Right here?" Ron asked.

"No. Up in your apartment," Flint said. "Let's go."

Luna followed them up to the apartment, horrified. She couldn't believe Ron would even consider doing something so disgusting. When they arrived at the apartment, Luna caused a diversion by casting a spell in the opposite direction, causing Ron and Flint to look the other way while she slid through the doorway. She hurried to his bedroom and hid in the closet, praying he wouldn't open it up. When Ron and Flint entered the room, they didn't. Flint got on Ron's bed and waited for Ron to get ready. Ron looked as if he didn't really mind what he was about to do.

"You know, if I do this, I'll want something out of it," Ron said.

"Like what?" Flint asked.

"Maybe some more coke," Ron replied. "This could serve as temporary payment for the coke too."

Flint thought for a moment. "Fine. If you suck it good enough, you'll get some coke. But only if it's good enough."

"How many times do you need to release before I'm done?" Ron asked.

"Well, if you can manage it, I'd like to twice," Flint said. "Shooting two loads always makes me feel better than just shooting one."

"This better be some damn good coke," Ron said.

"Oh, you'll like it," Flint said.

Luna covered her mouth so she wouldn't cry out in disgust. She couldn't believe Ron would do something like that just to get drugs. It was disgusting. She didn't know Ron was that desperate for anything at all. She closed her eyes tight so she wouldn't have to watch, but because she was covering her mouth, she couldn't cover her ears, and was forced to hear every single sound made. It was making her sick to her stomach. She wondered why she managed to get herself into situations like that. What she did know is that she really needed to take care of Ron's problem, and soon. A moment later, she decided what to do. She needed outside help. And she knew exactly who she needed in order to get the help.

**End Chapter 8**

Review please! Sorry for anyone who hates slash or anything. I just enjoy throwing in random elements in my story. Well, sex is often used as payments for drugs in real life, so I figured that oral sex can be used as a payment too. Well don't forget to review! Chapter 9 coming soon!


End file.
